Early Morning Visitor
by AllYouHaveToSay
Summary: Neela spends the night at Ray's and he isn't sure of her intentions when she leaves unexpectedly. Neela is now kidnapped and the new doctor sends Ray to help her.
1. First Days of the Rest of Their Lives

Going through her mind was nothing but the unsure feelings her present actions were radiating. She stumbled up to the apartment door and gave three timid knocks. The few seconds wait was agonizing and she was just turning away when the door opened. Was this what she wanted? Did she want him to be there?

"Neela?", Ray said in what was barely a greeting, the way they treated each other earlier was nothing short of the third World War. But he looked into her eyes and saw what he had saw the first time he laid eyes on her and the first time they had shook hands and agreed to be roommates. Which was really what got this all started in the first place. "Do you want to come in?", Ray asked without much force, he really didn't know if that was her intention.

Neela walked into the dark room; overwhelmed by the memories of her past and the feelings of how much she missed it there. Ray walked across the room separating himself from her, though not really sure why. It was early in the morning, really early. It was almost three. Disoriented, Neela scanned the room for Ray. She spotted him and all of the sudden felt very silly standing in the middle of the home and the person she abandoned.

"I don't know why I came, but this was the only place I knew how to get to and I am really sorry for waking you up. I should go," Neela turned around and headed for the door. Her face turned white when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Neela, why did you come?", Ray questioned as he looked into the eyes of his lost roommate.

Tears welling up in her eyes began to spell out her concerns.

"I didn't feel like taking the El and where would I be taking it to anyway? Home? What home? Abby and Luka and the baby, I can't go back there. I've been at the hospital for the past thirty-six hours and I can't take it anymore. Why would I stay there anyway?"

He stood stunned. He had no idea of what to say. The room was still dark and though he was closer to her now, he still could not make out the features of her face. He didn't know what he should be doing. He feared that if he said something it would be the wrong thing, and if he didn't say anything at all she would think that she made the wrong choice and that was the last thing Ray wanted Neela to think. With nothing to loose, Ray offered Neela a place to stay.

"The couch is a little ruined and I only have one blanket anyway. So, I guess that you can share the bed with me. The sheets are clean, I swear," Ray looked up and waited for the reaction to what he had just offered to her.

"I don't think that I should. I will just sleep at the hospital, " Neela said with almost no hesitation. She tried to pull herself together but from sheer exhaustion she found herself complying.

Ray awkwardly got into bed and scrunched himself as close to the wall as he could. Neela followed and with the pillow Ray had given her, she put it in between them. A guard rail to protect her from everything that could happen. Ray offered her the blanket.

"I don't want it," Neela said and turned herself away from Ray.

"It's going to get cold and you'll need it."

"I said I was fine." At the side of the bed Neela feared she would fall off into the sea of pizza boxes and beer cans. What had happened to Ray since she left? Her mind wandered and before she knew it, it was almost five in the dead of winter; she was cold. Neela looked over at Ray and found he was sleeping with the blanket tightly wrapped around him with only a tail she would even have a chance of moving. She grabbed the divider and placed it beneath her head. She froze. She was surprised at how much her attitude had changed since a few hours before. She was still wary of what she was doing and was the opposite of lucid. She pulled the blanket a few inches and rested her head on Ray's shoulder. A few second's later he woke up.

Ray had a surprised expression on his face. Neela could barely see in the room which was still black. She got up and dangled her feet over the side of the bed.

"I'm so sorry, I was cold; you were right, I did need that blanket. It was just, you had it all wrapped around you and-," she was crying and Ray took her hand and pulled her in close. The feeling of Ray against her was indescribable and a feeling that she had wanted to feel so many times before, but never got the chance to. She was able to calm back down with Ray's arms around her. She looked into his eyes and said thank you. For a moment she thought something was going to happen. Their faces so close together and knowing that they both had the same feelings in their hearts. She backed away and now only her head remained touching Ray's shoulder. She paused only a few seconds and then sat up and kissed Ray. A sweet kiss-very short. She then resumed her original position. She was close to Ray. She knew that he had received the kiss when he took his arms and placed them around her and held her tighter. She closed her eyes, and she was asleep.

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This is my first fan fiction. I hope that it isn't too terribly bad. I think that it starts out kind of okay and then gets worse. Well I hope you like it and tell me what you think! Even if it is the worst story you have ever read. I want to know!

Thanks for reading!


	2. Meaning It

Neela opened her eyes once and then closed them again. But the few seconds they were open allowed her to realize what she was doing. She couldn't believe herself. Ray was still asleep and still had his arms around her. She wiggled out of his grasp and stepped onto the cold floor. A few creeks were made as she crunched the trash beneath her. It didn't concern her though, because Ray was still asleep. She headed for the door and grabbed her bag and began putting on her old, worn-out tennis shoes. That was what the hospital did to things, it wore them out. She was tying her shoes and was thinking. Neela wasn't sure where she was going to go. Her shift in the hospital did not start for another three hours and she didn't want to stay here. The feelings of loneliness seemed to haunt her every step but it didn't matter to her. She sat up and grabbed the door knob right when she saw Ray emerge from the dark hallway.

"Leaving so soon?", that was the only thing Ray could think about saying when he saw Neela leaving his apartment. "I didn't think that you shift started until five this evening."

"No, it starts now," Neela lied but she needed to go before her feelings mislead her again. Ray still had no idea why Neela came over last night, but he thought it meant something. It might have, but Neela didn't want to believe it.

"I can take the El with you if you want me to. My shift doesn't start for a few hours, but I'm sure there is something that I could do around the hospital. I think that Kerry needed my help with this new survey or something."

"I think that I will be okay."

"What time do you get off? Do want to stop by after your shift?"

Neela stood in the front of the room, stunned. She was surprised and regretting her last night kiss. It felt right then, but why dose it feel so wrong now? There was the memories of Michael and knowing that she would have to face Tony if anything ever happened between she and Ray. Which nothing ever was, so she really didn't have anything to worry about. That was one reason why Neela was getting ready to leave, but why else did she feel like she couldn't fall for Ray? None of her relationships had really got her anywhere lately. Tony had Meg and Sarah and she knew that no matter what he said that he cared for them and the thought of leading Tony to break the promise he had with his best friend was too much for Neela. The relationship Neela had with Michael was okay but he was in love with war. The third reason was guilt. Every time she saw Ray she thought of how she felt about him when Michael was still alive. What kind of wife was she?

"Stop by? I think that I should just go. Last night was a mistake; we both know it. I shouldn't have come here and you shouldn't have offered me your bed." Neela grabbed her bag that had fallen off her shoulder and opened the door. She was greeted by the cold, Chicago air.

"You're mad? I thought that you wanted to come here. You come to my apartment in the middle of the night, I let you in and give you a warm place to stay. I have done nothing but help you and you don't care. Last night you kissed me, you leaned up against me. I let you sleep in my bed and I didn't mean anything by it. You were the one who turned it into something more and know you're saying that it didn't matter."

"It meant nothing. I was out of line and I guess that I'm sorry." Neela stepped outside the door.

"So last night when you kissed me, you were saying thank you because I meant nothing to you? I think that it meant something and I don't know what you thought, but it meant something to me."

"You think wrong," Neela shut the door, dropped her bag, leaned against the door and at the thought of what she said, began to cry.


	3. What You're Looking For

"This is Trauma one. You'll be spending a lot of time here, and don't worry, you'll get used to it." Sam showed the new intern into the checkered tiled room and led him right back out when she heard the words chem. 7, CBC, Chest Film, TOX Screen, and Abdominal Series come from Abby's mouth. Sam led the new doctor to the admit desk and asked him to choose a patient chart. He chose one and decided that it wasn't going to be too hard. He started towards Curtain Area One.

"I'm Doctor Bayley. How are you doing?" He took a good stare at the patient who was bleeding from the forehead and both arms.

"You know that when you are doing a patient history, you really should be doing most of the talking," Neela said from the opposite bed and she was dressed in street clothes.

"I think that I know what I am doing uh, Ms., um," Ryan Bayley said not realizing that Neela was a doctor.

"It's Rasgotra, and if you really think that you are doing it right I'm not going to stop you."

"I'm sorry, but I believe that I know a little more about it than you."

Neela sat up and headed for the admit desk.

"I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. Will you come back here? I think that you probably should stay in bed," Ryan called down the hallway.

At the admit desk Neela saw Jerry and Frank scarping down their quota of freshly fried doughnuts for the morning and they both took a double take at Neela as she walked past their desk. She was walking towards Abby who had just gotten out of Trauma One.

"Wow, what happened to you?" Abby asked Neela while taking notice of the dark circles around her puffy eyes and her hair that was in disarray. "Would you like to come to the lounge with me, I am just heading out."

"Sure." Neela stumbled through the doorway and plopped herself onto the old couch.

"Have you seen the new intern he is pretty cu-"

"I haven't been sleeping," Neela butted in and ruined Abby's moment.

"I've noticed. We were really worried about you. Kerry was surprised that you didn't show up for work a few days ago. What's the matter?" Abby questioned Neela, worried about her well-being.

"It's just, I don't know. Ever since I went to Ray's I can't sleep. I felt something when I was there and I slept very good while in his arms. If I am ever going to sleep again I need to feel safe and wanted, and I don't think that I will ever feel it again. I guess I can't sleep because I miss it." Neela said and hoped that it was a good enough answer to satisfy Abby's craving for her night with Ray.

"If you miss him, why don't you go back?" Abby asked, puzzled.

" I don't think I miss him, Abby. I miss it. I miss the feeling."

"Right but you need to sleep soon. You can't work like this." Abby left the lounge and came back a few short seconds later. "And Neela, I hope you find it, what you're looking for."

"Thanks Abby." Neela left and headed back towards the Admit Desk.

"Frank, have you seen Ryan Bayley? I should really check on him. He wasn't doing so well earlier."

"Oh, you mean pretty boy? I think that he was just called into trauma and Neela are you okay?" Frank replied and then asked.

"I'm fine, thanks and you should really watch what you are saying. I think that I probably scared him enough back in the curtain area. One of his first patients already thought they were better than them. We want him to come back tomorrow." In the trauma room, Neela spotted the new doctor and decided that she would observe for a while. She missed it there. Ryan looked over her shoulder and saw the fleeing 'patient'.

"What is she doing in here?" Ryan asked Pratt, still thinking that Neela was a patient.

"She is just watching. If it makes you nervous, just hide it. Knowing it makes you nervous will only make them come back for more."

"You let people watch in here? I was looking for her everywhere."

"Well I don't know where she was, but she is here now. You can go talk to her if you need to," Pratt said.

"I think that I'll be okay."

"Okay then, get back to work."

Neela left the trauma room and went to help Jane with a patient. A few minutes later the trauma team followed. Ryan spotted Neela and stared at her for a while and then he found Abby.

"Dr. Lockhart?"

"Abby," she corrected him.

"Abby, who it that woman over there with the patient. She keeps following me around and if I try to ask her a question or ask a question to another patient she only corrects me."

"Oh, you haven't met Dr. Rasgotra yet. She's an intern from surgery, but she spends most of her shift down here in the ER."

"She's a doctor?" Ryan asked surprised and very embarrassed.

"Ya, here I'll take you to meet her." The pair walked to where Neela was sitting with her head in her hands.

"Dr. Rasgotra, this is Dr. Ryan Bayley," Abby introduced the two.

"Yes, I believe that we met." She turned to Ryan, "In Curtain Area One?"

"You look like crap," Ryan said without realizing that his thoughts could actually come out as words.

"Thanks, you too," Neela said sardonically and then stared at him for a few seconds before she left without saying another word. She wasn't ready to come back to work. She bundled up and went to sit on the benches at the EL. She would have room to breath there. Ryan caught a glimpse of Neela as she went out into the ambulance bay. He then went to find Abby.

"Did what I say really upset her that much. I just saw her leave. I thought that her shift started in a few minutes," Ryan asked.

"What are you talking about? Who left?"

"Dr. Rasgotra, she got her things from the lounge and left."

"Don't worry about it. I didn't really expect her to stay as long as she did. She has had it rough the past few days."

"What happened?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't really know," that was the only thing Abby could say and it really was the truth.


	4. The Sleepless Beauty

Up at the EL Neela took some time to breath and think about the last few days. She had done nothing but think about that night. Ray's face when she walked out of his apartment was etched into her brain onto a stone tablet. She closed her eyes and it was there, she opened her eyes and she saw all of the things that reminded her of him. She saw the hospital, which seemed to make everything worse. The past few days, actually made Neela think of Michael and out of all the people she could be thinking of, he was not the one she would have chosen. Was he why she was acting the way she was? Neela could feel her head throbbing and her eyes drooping as the lack of sleep was really starting to catch up with her. The constant roar of the EL gliding across its tracks was enough to drop the idea of sleep into her head, but every time it was close enough for Neela to grab at, one idea would keep her awake.

Neela's mind was drifting when she felt an arm rest upon her shoulder while she was sitting on the cold bench. She jumped and looked up to see the new doctor, Ryan Bayley looking back at her. Neela stared at him for a while and then he asked to sit down. Neela shook her head yes, but she didn't know what was going on. Neela was shivering, partly because of the cold, but mostly from the lack of sleep. He draped his lab coat around her and handed her his gloves.

"Did you know that it has been the coldest winter in Chicago since 1949?" Ryan asked Neela trying to decide weather or not he had offended her too much while back at the hospital; maybe he should have signed of for a Psychiatric Rotation.

"No actually, I did not know that, and if you don't mind…," Neela bit at him, still upset at his earlier comments.

"Look, I'm sorry. I thought you were a patient and about what I said, I'm sorry about that too. But you can really tell that you haven't been sleeping."

"Maybe you can, but you didn't have to say that."

"When you left to come out here, Abby showed me your picture. You were with a soldier and you looked really happy. You didn't look like this. If you got some sleep, maybe you would feel better."

"It's easy for you to say, but I can't sleep. I try and it usually ends up with me coming to the hospital or up here at the EL. I don't know what it is about the hospital, but it really draws you in. You feel safe there. I think that you may understand better once you've been a doctor here longer. It may look like a piece of crap now, but this place really grows on you."

"I think that I may see where you are coming from, in a weird convoluted sort of way." And for the first time in days Neela felt herself chuckle; well, almost. "Isn't there anywhere else better you could think of running to except up here in the freezing cold?"

"Not really, Abby and Luka just had their son. It's pretty weird going there and I had a room mate, but, well that's quite a long story."

"You know, I am usually scheduled for day shifts and you usually the night, so you could stay and my place for a while. We may go days, or even months without seeing each other."

"That's what my last room mate said."

"Oh, was he the type of room mate that always left his dirty dishes and used the last of the milk on his cereal and then forgot to buy some more?"

"You could say that."

"Because I can assure you, I am definitely not that kind of a guy."

"I really don't think that I want a room mate right now."

"Suite yourself, but you can stay there for the night if you want to."

"I'll think about it when I can think a little better."

"Well, I don't know when that will be if you don't get some sleep and I am sorry for what I said earlier about the way you look. It wasn't _that_ true."

"Ha ha, very funny," Neela said in a very tired, monotonous manner as she laid her head on Ryan's shoulder. "Do you ever wonder what life would be like if something didn't happen?" Neela questioned.

"All of the time."

"Do you ever wonder why something did happen and then wonder why you don't want to except it?"

"I don't think that I know what you're saying."

"I'm not sure if I do either, It's just that all of these things keep happening and I can't keep track of them all."

"Why do you think I came here?"

"Well if you came to County to run from something, you have really came to the wrong place."

"Why?"

"I have been at County for about four years now and it would take me about twenty years just to tell you all of the stories about the men in the ER."

"You're room mate? Then silence. "Neela… Neela? Are you asleep?" Ryan turned slightly and saw Neela asleep on his shoulder. What a day.


	5. A Strange New Place

Neela opened up her eyes and scanned the room. Where was she? Neela felt her heart beating faster in her chest. She had never been to this place before and she couldn't remember how she got there. _Was she kidnapped_? Neela made herself chuckle. She let herself laugh and it felt very good. She couldn't remember the last time she felt as rejuvenated as she did right now lying on a bright red couch in the middle of a studio apartment. Neela got up off the couch and walked over to the door where she saw a note hanging above the door knob.

_Neela,_

_I had to go into work early. I don't want Dr. Kovac harping on me for being late. I wanted to wait for you, but I thought it would be better if you got your sleep. I think you really need it. There is food in the refrigerator and you can stay as long as you like. I'll see you at County._

_Ryan_

All of the sudden, Neela remembered what had happened. She remembered falling asleep at the EL and Ryan getting her into the cart. But she didn't remember how he got her to the house. Did he carry her all of the way? Neela quickly began to feel embarrassed and she felt like she was cheating someone. But who, Ray, Michael? She couldn't believe herself. Going off sleeping is some guy's apartment. What would Ray think? What would it matter?

"Is Neela scheduled to work today?" Ryan asked Abby while both were in the lounge preparing for another fun-filled day in Chicago's very own Cook County General Hospital.

"I think so, but I'm not sure. Surgery is in charge of her schedule now. Why, are you trying to avoid her? I sure would be if I said what you said to her yesterday," Abby answered back.

"No, well she is sleeping and there isn't an alarm clock or anything and I don't want her to be late for work."

"Wait, what are you talking about? There isn't an alarm clock where?"

"At my apartment, there isn't an alarm clock that is set for Neela and I'm not sure if she will wake up by herself. She needed the sleep."

"Okay, so Neela is asleep at your apartment?"

"Yes, it's a long story but we were talking on the EL platform and she fell asleep on my shoulder and she said she didn't have anyplace to sleep, so I took her to my apartment."

"No, I don't need the gory details, but she's sleeping? Like actually sleeping?"

"Yes, on the couch in my apartment."

"She doesn't even know you," Abby said under her breath.

"What did you say?" Ryan questioned.

"Nothing, it's just I'm surprised you got her to sleep. She hasn't slept for days."

"And that's why her sleeping is such a surprise?"

"Ya."

Neela opened the door and headed for the EL. Where was she going to go. The happiness she had felt when she first woke up had faded and she was beginning to feel tired again, but she made it the EL and she hopped on the first one heading towards County General. When she got there, she was greeted by an old friend.

"Neela, hey. How have you been?" Ray asked as soon as he saw Neela. He took notice of how Neela looked. He saw that the bags underneath her eyes had been reduced, but her hair was still frizzy. It didn't matter, she looked beautiful. Somehow when he realized that she had gotten some sleep, he felt a little more empty. He felt that no matter what, she didn't need him anymore. His ideas were foolish and he almost walked away.

"I'm doing fi----"

"Everyone get ready! There is a double MVA coming in and we need everyone's hands. Neela can you prepare warm saline and get some portable chests down here?" Nurse Chunny Marquez interrupted the pair with her news.

"Ya, sure I'll get it." Neela walked off and left Ray standing in the middle of the room all alone once more.

Neela rushed into the trauma room with the warm saline. She was greeted by Dr. Ryan Bayley.

"Hey, Neela. I'm glad you got here. I was afraid that you would sleep through your shift."

"I'm here, but I kind of wanted to talk to you about last night. I feel kind of embarrassed and awkward," Neela said in Trauma Room 1 near the door.

"We can talk about it later. I'll meet you in the lounge."

"Okay." Neela left the trauma room and she found Ray standing right outside the doorway. He glanced up at her and gave her a strange look. She couldn't believe herself. Ray had been listening the entire time and the words that she used weren't the best. She could only imagine what Ray was thinking about her night with Ryan. Why did she say last night? Now, her chance with Ray was ruined, but she probably ruined that the night she left Ray in his apartment.

Ray watched Neela walk down the hallway towards the lounge. How could he have been so stupid? Neela must not really like him too much. I mean, Neela had never done anything but kiss him once and she had only known Ryan for a day. He wanted to reach out to her and tell her how he really felt, but his only chance with her was ruined.


	6. Discoveries

**7:30 AM - Ray**

Ray got into the EL cart and headed towards the hospital. He had barely even talked to Neela in the past few weeks. All he could do was watch. Watch Neela talk to Ryan, watch Neela help her patients. But through all of this watching, he noticed that Neela still looked like she hadn't got sleep in a while. What had happened? Ray was sure that Neela and Ryan had something. They had that something that Ray wished he could have with Neela. Maybe he was trying to hard, maybe he should just try to forget her. He hoped the best for Neela, but he still was feeling sorry for himself as he went to spend another lonely day in Cook County General Hospital.

**7:30 AM - Neela**

Neela caught an elevator downstairs to the ER. She had been avoiding going down there; she didn't want to run into Ryan. Neela wondered all of the time why she wouldn't let herself fall for anyone. She just thought that maybe she was afraid of getting hurt and loosing someone again. She liked Tony, she like Ryan, but she felt something different for Ray and she didn't know if that was a good thing. Neela still wasn't getting any sleep, but she had learned how to utilize her make-up. She had never known that make-up could do what it did. Sometimes, she wondered if she should even try to cover the mess she hid underneath it. Ray had seen Neela talking to Ryan, and she knew that. But Neela didn't think that Ray thought she and Ryan were up to anything. She hadn't gone over to Ryan's at all since that night. The had gone out for drinks once, but that was it. Ryan wasn't who she wanted.

**8:45 AM - Ryan and Ray**

Ryan got into the ER late this morning. He ran to the lounge, took off his coat and threw it into his locker. He gathered all of his things and was getting ready to head out of the door when his number one fan, Ray, came into the door. Ray looked at Ryan and he realized how much he hated him. He never knew how much you could hate someone with out ever saying more than a few words to them at once. He was also confused because those words had always happened to be words like, 'chest film, abdominal series, CT, and blood gas.' Ray didn't know how he could hate him, but he thought he had a reason too.

Ryan knew that Ray hated him. Was it because of Neela? It had to be. What else could someone who had never talked to him hate him for? Ryan thought that he thought that Neela and him had something going on, little did Ray know that he had barely even talked to Neela lately. Ryan and Ray made eye contact for a few short seconds and then Ryan turned out of the lounge and had one foot out the door when he heard Ray say a few words.

"How is she doing," Ray asked.

"Who, the patient? Mrs. Elbridge is doing just fine-" Ryan said, but he knew who he was talking about.

"No, Neela."

"I'm not really sure; I haven't talked to her in a while."

"You know that's bull."

"I'm telling the truth Ray, she hasn't been talking to me lately."

"I've seen you talking, I know what's going on," Ray said in a tone that had Ryan worried.

"Nothing is 'going on'," Ryan said back to Ray in a sardonic manner. "Even if something was 'going on' why would that have anything to do with you?"

" I just care about her that's all."

"Right, you care about her and you just want to make sure everything is all right. That sounds like crap. I've been in county for a month now, and I haven't ever seen you talk to her. You just stand over your patients observing Neela as she walks past. You're like a stalker or something; it's kind of creepy," Ryan said to Ray realizing that what he said was probably meaner that he intended, but he couldn't stop himself. To him, Ray was just some guy who liked the same girl as him. He had no idea of their history; he didn't know Ray was the room mate Neela had told him about and he didn't know that Ray was the reason Neela wasn't sleeping.

"It doesn't matter what you think about me, just take care of Neela," Ray said acting like what Ryan said didn't hurt him. He was confused and wondered what Ryan actually knew. He guessed that to Ryan, he was just some guy who liked Neela. Ryan never got the chance to know who he really was. If Neela didn't tell him, he wasn't going to. It didn't matter, he had the girl.

"I will," Ryan firmly said. He was going to let Ray think he was seeing Neela. Why not? Maybe it would keep Ray away from her. But all of this talk did make him wonder if there was something more to Neela and Ray's story. There was one way he could find out, so he walked out of the lounge leaving Ray to himself.

Ryan walked around the ER and ran into a new volunteer.

"My head, my head, I think its going to fall off. Please help me!" The patient said to the volunteer. This patient had nothing wrong with him and was waiting on a psych bed.

"Sir, sir, I don't know what your problem is, but I'm sure its hard to pronounce," the volunteer said to the patient and then walked on by. Ryan wondered if he should help, but then he found who he was looking for.

"Hey Abby, is there something that I don't know about Neela and Ray that I should know about? Ray hasn't even talked to Neela while I have been here, but I thought that he was going to attack me in the lounge over Neela. We aren't even really going out."

"Ya," Abby answered.

"Ya what?"

"There's probably a lot that you don't know."


	7. The Turning Point

Abby grabbed Ryan and pulled him aside. She took him into the suture room and began to tell Ryan the story of Michael and Ray and Tony. Abby filled in the detail as best she could, but there was a lot that Neela had not told her. Abby told Ryan that Ray and Neela had been roommates and were very close. Abby didn't tell Ryan exactly why Neela left Ray's but she didn't know. Ryan began to feel very bad about all of the things he had said to Ray and all of the things he assumed about Neela. He had no idea that Neela had been married or that Ray actually did talk to Neela and he really was just wanting to watch out for her. He absentmindedly walked out of sutures to find Neela. What was he going to say when he got there?

Neela stumbled out of Ike's and walked down an alley next to the restaurant. She had never walked this way before and she didn't have a clue to where she was going. The alley was dark and littered with beer cans and other garbage. A few homeless people walked up to Neela and asked her for something to eat, but she was too disoriented from the lack of sleep to understand their words. The alley was dark and was getting darker the further she went into the alley and the further she got away from the restaurant. Just when Ike's was out of sight and the alley was almost pitch black, Neela tripped on an old box and a stranger came out of the shadows and grabbed her arm.

"Thanks," Neela said to the very tall man with pointed eyes and wide figure. His eyes followed her as she tried to remove her arm from his firm grip.

"No Problem. By the way, My name is Max," he replied to Neela. He still had a tight grip on her arm.

"I'm Neela and it's nice meeting you, Max, but I really have to be going. Would you please let go of my arm?"

"I know," Max bellowed.

"Know what?"

"That your name is Neela."

"Wait, what? How?" Neela tried to pull her arm away, but he only firmed his grip. Neela tried to fight back but she was still weak from the lack of sleep. She tried to strike him, but just then Max caught her arm and hit her head. Neela was now unconscious.

Ryan looked all over for Neela. He checked the trauma rooms, he went up to the surgical floor, and finally he checked the roof of the hospital. Ryan began to look for Ray, but then he remembered that he was off today. Ryan's face began to feel red and he was starting to feel nauseous. He wondered if he was really sick, or if he just felt bad for how he had treated Ray the past month. Ryan had wanted to take Neela out for Valentine's Day tomorrow, but now he was kind of hoping Neela would end up with Ray. He felt sorry for them. Ryan looked until he saw Dr. Kovac.

"Dr. Kovac, do you know where Neela is?"

"She said that she needed some air about forty five minutes ago. She said that she was going to take a little walk. She should have been back by now, though. Have you tried paging her?"

"No, I thought she would be here in the ER, but I guess she isn't. Do you think I should be worried?"

"Not yet. Try paging her and come and find me in a half an hour or so," he told Ryan. Dr. Kovac hadn't really talked to Neela for a while and the pair of them had never been close. He honestly didn't know if they should be worried or not.

Ryan went to the phone and dialed Neela's pager number and then decided to wait. He went to Curtain Area One and checked on his patient. Ryan finished and then did chart work for the next half an hour. When he still had no sign of Neela, Ryan told Dr. Kovac. Dr. Kovac wasn't sure what to do either, and he didn't give very good advice. Ryan was worried and he decided to call Ray.

Ray received Ryan's phone call. It was dark outside and he knew that Neela wouldn't just run off during one of her shifts. He knew that he had to go out and look for her. It was late and the only place he could think to check was Neela's newly rented apartment off the EL tracks. He quickly dressed and headed out the door.

Ray rode the EL until Neela's stop and then got off. When he got to Neela's apartment, he knocked and a strange man opened the door.

"Oh, just the person I was hoping to see," Max said to Ray as he opened the door.

"Who are you?" Ray began to question him until he saw Neela on the bed asleep with her hands tied in front of her. He stumbled over a chair rushing to Neela's side. The sound woke Neela up and she scanned the room. Her eyes first floated past him, but then she saw him and he was the only person Neela wanted to see right then. The only person that mattered at that moment. She tried to sit up in her bed and spoke his name for the first time in a while.

"Ray," she said.


End file.
